Government schools in Maharashtra are due for a massive
transformation. "Educationally Progressive Maharashtra" Programme has been
introduced by the state education department, under which ideas like teacher
training, innovative methods of teaching using toys and props, usage of
biometric systems for attendance and bringing down drop-out rates, have been
introduced. Schools and directors of education have been given a year's time to
meet these targets.

The Programme has been made very stringent to gain the best
possible results. Only those schools that attain 100% success shall be deemed
progressive. Goals have been set by the state government for teachers;
education officers at block, district and state levels to aid schools achieve
100% results. Administrative officers are expected to make sure that all
schools under their authority are digitized, as a part of the SARAL system.

Teachers from across the state have been asked to visit the
schools that have been deemed ideal. Though 100% literacy may not be
practically achievable, but teachers have been asked to visit schools in Kumthe
and Vai in Satara, and Miraj in Sangli to initiate a change in opinions of
people towards education. These visits shall surely help getting their schools
a progressive rating as per the state government parameters.

State education secretary, Nand Kumar mentioned that with
the introduction of Right to Education Act in 2010, there has been a
misconception surrounding a lot of its features. People assume that Continuous
Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE), no-detention policy, no public or board exams
till Std VIII and age-appropriate admissions actually hinder quality education.

For the purpose of clearing out these misconceptions, and
for tackling low levels of learning and regional inequality, the state
government rolled out multi-year initiative called Pragat Shaikshanik
(Educationally Progressive) Maharashtra in June 2015. The aim of this programme
is to provide students with age/grade apt competencies, by providing them a
playground for quality improvement in teachers and administrators.

Over the years, focus on textbook learning has promoted
theoretical learning. The state is now trying to evolve the teaching
methodologies by inculcating concept understanding and competencies, rather
than promoting rote learning, said Aparna Sivakumar of Change Agents for School
Education and Research (Caser).

The state government's subsequent plans include digital
schools, ISO certified schools, activity based learning and multi-lingual
classroom teaching (for migrant students). Teachers shall be given due support
in assimilating non-school going children into classrooms and providing them
special trainings.

The Action Plan

"·Capacity building has been initiated for all the
relevant people to ensure that no child remains below grade level by 2016-17.
This includes resource persons, cluster- and block-level officers, teachers,
community and supporting agencies.

"·To help teachers improve on subjects, tutoring
and child psychology, education officers have been assigned.

"·Digital and physical teacher communities for
various subjects are being formed to provide a supporting and encouraging
environment.

"·For supporting teachers further, mentors in
proximity are being identified; learning modules for teachers requiring further
support are being built.

"·Quality cells are being given proper
channelization by driving professional programmes through demand and need.

"·To make teachers and departments more
accountable for their work, a proper review system shall be put in place.
Manual administrative tasks shall be digitized. Teachers shall be motivated to
reach underserved schools, and job charts shall be regularly visited.